Buchanan KITFOX IV N125TY

Summary

On 31 July 2018 at about 17:30 local time, a Buchanan KITFOX IV registered N125TY was involved in an accident near Loma, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 July 2018 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Loma, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.1353, -109.0256

Aircraft

Buchanan KITFOX IV

Registration

N125TY

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Junction → Cedar City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA303

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper decision to conduct a low-altitude flight over a river and his inadequate monitoring of the environment, which resulted in a collision with a cableway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed on a cross-country, personal flight, and during the flight, he chose to fly at low altitude over a river. The pilot reported that, after passing over a group of river rafters about 500 ft above ground level, he "dropped [the airplane] low to the river." Shortly after descending, the airplane's vertical stabilizer struck a cableway that crossed over the river. The pilot lost airplane control, and the airplane subsequently impacted the side of the river canyon and then came to rest partially submerged in the river. The cableway was supported by two fixed A-frame structures located on the sides of the riverbank, and the cable height at its center above the water's surface was 32 ft. The pilot likely was not properly monitoring the environment during the low-altitude operation, which resulted in his failure to see and avoid the cableway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.